Monday, October 7, 2013

The Adoration of Jenna Fox Review

Within The Story
Confusion, hope, anger, gratitude, love, desire, and betrayal: each of these emotions surround me and it’s all because of Jenna Fox. It doesn't matter that Jenna Fox does not exist. It doesn't matter that the made-up image of Jenna Fox I have in my head is just that--made up. I've forgotten that this book is just a work of fiction; Jenna is real to me and the only way she can figure out who she is, is through me.  Her memories are no longer stuck inside a computer marked Jenna Angeline Fox, instead they are captured within The Adoration of Jenna Fox. As I turn pages and discover more about Jenna’s life I feel as if it’s happening now. Jenna can’t figure out who she is unless I continue reading. 
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson made me experience every emotion and left me breathless, as well as my adrenaline surging. I could feel the emotions throughout my entire body as I worked to figure out Jenna’s past with her.  The question is asked “How far would go to save someone you love?”[1] Would I risk everything I had in life for a loved one to have another chance at life, or would I accept their fate?
                Claire and Matthew Fox demonstrate the epitome of love by committing a life-threatening sacrifice to save their daughter's life.  Claire said, “We had to make a choice—save you the only way we knew how or let you die. Any parent in the world would have made the choice we did.”(118) Clair and Matt made the choice by saving “as much as was still viable”(118) of Jenna and using Bio Gel to create a new body for their daughter to live in, but only ten percent of the old Jenna is usable.
Lily raises the question of Jenna’s ten percent, is it enough to be considered human? In the beginning I felt bad for Jenna, but I also agreed with Lily and began to question what Jenna really was. I didn’t know if I could fully accept Jenna for a human, but as Jenna worked her way back into Lily’s heart, she also softened mine. Jenna trusts in Lily and goes to her with her problems, “They eventually have to share with someone. My someone is Lily.” Lily accepts Jenna before Jenna even accepts herself.
Questions of Life
                As I read The Adoration of Jenna Fox, I noticed that Jenna’s journey made me question several details in my life. Besides the meaning of love, Pearson brings up questions on friendship and identity; her book inspired me to question who am I, and who I will become.
                When Jenna first awakes from her coma she doesn’t know who she is, Jenna is told her name and is given videos of her past. Slowly, she begins to remember who Jenna Fox is but she realizes there is “something curious about me.” (12) Soon Jenna discovers that she has a “shelf life” (128) and her “life expectancy [is] between two and two hundred years.” (128) As I continued to read I began to think about how we are not guaranteed a tomorrow.  We could die at any moment and if we died tomorrow will we have made a difference with our life?
                Kara and Locke, the accident, everything that haunts Jenna’s past tears at her to remember. She had two best friends, ones she will never forget. Despite them dying in the accident and Jenna’s survival, they are very much alive within Jenna’s mind and she must free them from captivity within the computers. Jenna’s dedication to her friends made me question my friendships today, how far would I go to save them, how far would they go to save me? But now Jenna has new friends to go along with her new body, Ethan and Allys. Soon Jenna is falling in love with Ethan, despite his angry past, and she puts her trust and her secret in his hands. Allys has bio engineered hands and legs along with a negative outlook on Matthew Fox’s corporation and befriends Jenna before she realizes Jenna’s relation to Matthew.  Ethan and Allys made me question several things: who are my true friends today, who can I question with my secrets, and did Allys betray Jenna in the end or simply desire to live and save her own life?




[1] Front cover

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